Recipes from America's Small Farms
Chapter One
BASIC GRATIN
The only thing that makes a casserole a gratin is the crisp, well-browned, broiled topping. You can use buttered bread crumbs, grated cheese, a mixture of the two, or nothing at all over layers of cooked vegetables.
1 pound potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, or Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 pound leafy greens, cabbage, zucchini, summer squash, fennel, Belgian endive, or cauliflower, rinsed and drained, if necessary, and thinly sliced, or an additional pound of roots and tubers above
4 tablespoons olive oil or unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (optional)
2 cups milk, stock, or cooled vegetable cooking liquid
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
1 1/4 cups grated Cheddar, Swiss, Muenster, Monterey Jack, or other cheese
1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs or panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
The only thing that makes a casserole a gratin is the crisp, well-browned, broiled topping. You can use buttered bread crumbs, grated cheese, a mixture of the two, ... read full excerpt from Recipes from America's Small Farms ebook
